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Crisis Communication Plan

Crisis Communication Plan

Crying But Capable

Kathleen Fanor Adkins

Full Sail University

March 31, 2024

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Crisis Communication Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This document establishes the protocol for handling any crisis that Crying But Capable should

face. This document should be utilized by Crying But Capable's members and media team before

publicly addressing any crisis. Crying But Capable and PR professional Kathleen Fanor Adkins

developed this guide over several internal meetings. The document includes the team members

handling the situation, public groups and stakeholders who will help with crisis communication,

and the survival kit detailing the tools needed for the crisis. The document also includes the

Employee Media Policy for Crying But Capable and how the organization will handle the

situation on social media.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION TEAM

Crying But Capable's Crisis Communication Team comprises several current organization

members. The committee heads will be the two organization founders, Taylor Valentine and Kat

Maxwell. They will meet one-on-one and develop any statements or actions the organization

needs to take to address the crisis. These two individuals must have training in Media, Public

Speaking, and Employee Policy.

Fenix, a group panelist and digital media and PR specialist for Crying But Capable, is the third

member of the team. She will assist with preparing press releases and be the voice of Crying But

Capable at press conferences and online. At these press conferences, she will answer questions

regarding the situation after being prepared by the committee heads. Fenix will maintain and

update crisis guides and manuals, including the organization's media list. She must have training

in Media, Public Speaking, and Writing.

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Crisis Communication Plan

The final committee member will be Mack Rush, a moderator, and media specialist for the

organization. She will ensure the prepared statements go up on the organization's social media

pages, monitor all social media platforms to gauge the public's response, and report to the

committee heads. She must have training in Media, Social Media Management, and Technology.

Name of Team Position Within the Role on the Crisis Training that Needs
Member Company Communication to be completed by
Team (Title & Brief this Team Member
Description of the
Role)
Taylor Valentine Founder Lead – Heads the Media, Public
handling of a crisis Speaking, and
Employee Policy
Kat Maxwell Co-Founder Co-Lead – Assists in Media, Public
heading the handling Speaking, and
of a crisis with the Employee Policy
Lead is not available
or if the crisis is large
scale
Fenix Fawkes Panelist/Digital Media Relations Media, Public
Media Specialist Specialist – Speaking, and
Communicates with Writing
the media and
develops press
releases
Mack Rush Moderator/Media and Communications Media, Social Media
Advertising Coordinator – Management, and
Specialist Monitors the situation Technology
and posts statements
to the organization’s
social media

Public Groups and Stakeholders

Name of Media Specific Contact E-Mail Primary Contact

Outlet Phone Number Address Person
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Crisis Communication Plan
Spectrum News 13 N/A Angi.Gonzalez@Charter.c Angi Gonzalez
om

ABC News 212-456-2828 News.tips@abc.com ABC News Investigative

Unit (No singular contact
given)
Tampa Bay Times (813) 225-3101 tbteditors@tampabay.co Neville Green
m

Orlando Sentinel 407-420-5000 mskoneki@orlandosentin Mark Skoneki

el.com Content Director
Business/Politics
Orlando Sentinel 407-420-5000 jhrobinson@orlandosenti Bert Robinson
nel.com Content Director
News
LiveNow - Fox (407) 741-5191 livenowtips@fox.com LiveNow East Coast
Newsroom (No singular
contact given)
CBS News 212-975-5867 desk@cbs2ny.com Assignment Desk
(No singular contact
given)
Sun Sentinel 954-356-4500 adimichele@sunsentinel.c Angie DiMichelle
om

Local Media

Local Government Agencies/Departments

Name of Specific Contact E-Mail Address Primary

Agency Phone Number Contact Person
Orlando Fire 407-246-3125 Charles.salazar@orlando.gov Chief Charlie
Department Salazar
Orlando Police 321-235-5300 Eric.Smith@orlando.go Eric D. Smith,
Department v Orlando Police
Chief
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Crisis Communication Plan
FACILITIES

When a crisis arises, Crying But Capable will have a virtual meeting, as the members live in

different locations. The primary meeting location will be Zoom. This platform allows the

members to meet privately online to discuss a crisis and develop a plan to address it. If Zoom is

not working, they can also utilize their private meeting room on the Crying But Capable Discord

server.

SURVIVAL KIT

Item Currently Available? Person Responsible for Item

Crisis Manual Yes Taylor Valentine
Crisis Communications Yes Kat Maxwell
Manual
Essential Telephone Numbers Yes Fenix Fawkes
Media List Yes Fenix Fawkes

EMPLOYEE MEDIA POLICY

Members of Crying But Capable are only permitted to speak to the media if they have received

clearance from the committee heads to speak on behalf of the organization. The only individuals

with automatic clearance to talk to the press are those on the crisis communication team or

members who have been briefed on the situation by the crisis communication team. Members

who have not been informed or are not members of the crisis communication team will be

required to provide the media with contact information for the organization's media team and not

comment on the crisis. Training for the media policy will include a meeting with the committee

heads and a signed acknowledgment that they understand what the employee media policy

entails.
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Crisis Communication Plan
MESSAGING

Below is an example of messaging that Crying But Capable can use for a crisis:

"At _____ event, we noticed that the wording used during our panel made some cosplay
community members uncomfortable. Our goal is to ensure that our events remain a safe and
welcoming place for cosplayers from all walks of life. We will ensure that this kind of discomfort
is never felt again and will shift our programming to make sure it is more appropriate. We
apologize to those impacted individuals. We are looking into what happened and will update you
on what steps we will take next."

"We have been informed of a safety concern at our meetup event at ______. We are investigating
the situation and will update you on further developments and next steps. We appreciate your
patience."

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

In a crisis, Mack Rush will monitor the response on our sites. She will monitor Instagram,

Facebook, TikTok, and Discord, the most prominent platforms Crying But Capable currently

uses. The process will be for Mack to monitor the online discussions surrounding the crisis. She

will assess if the individual is a troll or if they are one of the individuals who are not happy with

the organization during a crisis. Mack will then report to the rest of the Crisis Communication

Team to discuss how Crying But Capable will respond.

Fenix will be responsible for any communication the organization must make. She will help draft

any copy for social media regarding the crisis based on what the Crisis Communication Team

has discussed. Statements and regular announcements will be posted on Crying But Capable's

community Discord server. They will also post on the organization's leading social media

platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Regular posts will be made to provide transparency

to their community and the public.